Snow Day
by akaStoryteller
Summary: A winter storm hits New York City and Malcolm finds himself snowed in for the day.


Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Prodigal Son. I'm just having a little fun with the characters.

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**Snow Day**

**By: akaStoryteller**

Malcolm Bright stumbled out of bed, groaning when his body protested the abrupt call to action. Grumbling under his breath, he proceeded toward the kitchen where he knew a pot of freshly brewed coffee awaited him. On the way, he detoured to a small utility room where Sunshine's sleep cage was situated. He paused in front of the cage and raised one side of its cover.

"Good morning, Sunshine!" He said softly, injected as much enthusiasm as he could considering the early hour. The little bird seemed to grumble back at him. "I know, I know. I'll be back. I'm going to get some coffee."

Leaving the grumpy little bird to gradually acclimatize to the light, Malcolm retreated, heading for the kitchen. He grabbed his favorite mug and poured a cup of hot brew. He doctored it a little this morning and happily took several rapid sips. After a few minutes, Malcolm finally started to feel a little more human. He sighed and stretched then glanced out the window, drawing up short when he noticed the flurry of white on the other side of the glass. Closer inspection revealed a snow-filled and windswept landscape.

"Whoa," he called out, "Looks like we're gonna have a snow day, Sunshine!" He quickly grabbed the remote and flipped on the television where his suspicion was quickly confirmed by an all-together-too-happy meteorologist. "Yep. Looks like it's a complete mess out there."

Approaching Sunshine's sleep cage again and slowly removed the cover. He leaned forward, opened the cage door, and coaxed the bird onto an extended finger. "Okay, my little feathered friend—you ready to start the day?" This time Sunshine seemed to chirp an agreeable reply.

"So, what should we do today? TED talk? Movie? Or both? I mean, it's not like we don't have the time. And there's always that book we've been working on…" Malcolm placed Sunshine on his shoulder and returned to the kitchen to refill his mug. "I imagine you want breakfast first though." Malcolm placed the bird in his day cage and filled his food dish with parakeet pellets and seeds.

Malcolm was searching out TED talks when Sunshine settled himself on his shoulder and gently mouthed at his ear. "Aw, I love you too, Sunshine." Malcolm reached up and stroked the bird's head as he continued to scroll through talks that might interest him.

_Your language may shape who you are_

"Nah."

_The surprising science of happiness_

"Nah."

_The power of vulnerability_

"Nope, let's pass on that one."

_10 things you didn't know about orgasm_

Malcolm's raised his eyebrows at that one. "Hmmm, well, that could be interesting." He hovered the cursor over the link. "…nah…maybe another day…"

_How to make stress your friend_

"Oh, now, _there's_ a TED talk that might be beneficial, right, little buddy?"

The bird responded by chirping and sticking his head under the edge of Malcolm's t-shirt. He repeated that sound and motion a few times.

"All right, all right—I get it. You'd rather play." Bright turned his attention to the tiny bird and for the next hour or so, the two spent time fetching, playing catch, and practice flying. They were in the middle of rousing game of peek-a-boo when Malcolm's phone rang and Gil Arroyo's name flashed on the screen.

"Gil? Hi. What's up? Has there been a murder? Do you need me?"

"_No and no. I was just checking to see how you were doing and what you were up to…"_

"Oh, uh, I'm just playing with my bird."

"_Uh, whoa, God, I hope that's not a euphemism for things I definitely don't want to know about…"_

Malcolm chuckled. "It's not a euphemism for anything. I'm literally playing with my bird.

"_You're…playing…with your bird?"_

"Yeah, you remember Sunshine. We were just in the middle of a game of peek-a-boo."

"_You play peek-a-boo…you know what, never mind."_

"Hey, birds are social animals and they love to interact. In fact, Sunshine and I have the whole day planned," exclaimed Malcolm. "After peek-a-boo, I figured we'd find a good TED talk then maybe we'd settle in and read more of 'One Hundred Years of Solitude'.

There was silence on the other end of the phone for several long seconds and then Gil spoke, _"Uh, okay. You know what—I'll…I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing…"_

Malcolm grinned as he continued to tease the police detective. "You sure you don't want to join us?"

"_That would be a no."_

Malcolm laughed outright and said his goodbye to beleaguered friend. He bent and coaxed the bird up on his shoulder. "So, little buddy, you're Uncle Gil says hello."

Sunshine chirped a happy little response.

_**FIN**_


End file.
